Mings



P. wf, cuMMlNes.` RELAY on SOLENOID.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27.1915.

Patented Sept. v23, 1919.

2 sHEETs-sHEET l.

11i/VENTO A TTORNE Y.

P. W. CUM'MINGS` RELAY 0R SOLENOID.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1915.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BY Y

ATmR/VEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRESTON W. CUMMIN'GS, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO ELEVATOB SUPPLIES COMPANY, INC., CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

RELAY on SOLENOID.

Specication of Letters Patent. l

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, PRESTON W. CU M MrNGs, a citizen of the United Statesfresiding yin Chicago, State of Illinols, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Relays or Solenoids.

My invention relates to polarized magnet relays or solenoids, particularly to those used in elevator signal work and in that class of work where it is desired to operate a mercury pot switch or an indicating targ Heretofore various magnet-control systems of switches or signals have usually required two distinct and separate magnetsone to act as a setting magnet, and the other to act as a restoring magnet-thereby requiring a complete and independent set of wiring to each magnet.

An object of this invention is to provide a simplified magnet control, requiring but a single magnet lto perform both functions of setting and restoring-particularly for el e vator service, but which may be used 1n other applicable cases-thus reducing the wiring distribution practically fifty per cent. Y

With a view of showing the operation of my invention, I will first give below a de scription and specificaton of the polarized relay or solenoid; second, the same applied to annunciators; and, third, the operation of my invention in connection with an elevator signaling system of that type shown 1n United States Patent #826,752, to Smalley and Reiners. It is understood, however, that this invention can be used in any system requiring a relay magnet in connection with mercury pot switch or annunciators.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the relay, operative with a mercury pot switch, showing a section of the outer casing broken away to show the coils.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal transverse or cross section through my improvement on line S-S, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation ofthe relay arranged to operate with a target for annunciator use.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing an elevator system in which the relay is used for elevator signal service, and adapted to annunciator use.

Referring to Fig. 1: A is a steel frame kfastened to the support B, and supporting the solenoid coil G over the upper end of which extends a horizontal portion Q of the frame. C is an iron or steel armature, terminating in the mercury-pot plunger D, and loosely and vertically operated within the solenoid and coming in contact with frame A at the point Q. F is a metal mercury pot. 35 E 1s a metal frame with a hole at b to permit the plunger D to 4work freely up and down, but not large enough to let the armature C pass through; it is so arranged as toY catch the armature vC at e when it drops. 7p Thus, when the armature C is allowed to drop or 'fall on the frame E, and the pln` ger, as a consequence, drops into the mercury pot F, contact is established between binding posts K and L through the frame E, the plunger D and the mercury pot F.

The coil G is composed of two windingsan inner one, I, and an outer one, H.

The operation of the solenoid or magnet relay is as follows:

Electricity is. passed through the winding I, giving it sufficient power to draw the armature C into the coil and the plunger D out of the mercury lpot F. By the electromagnetic action of t e winding I, the frame 86 A and the armature C become magnetized and are' attracted into contact with each other, and at least one of them is of such material that it becomes a permanent magnet, so that the armature C remains sticking 90 to the frame A at the point Q after currenthas ceased to flow through the winding I. Fig. 1 shows the amature C in this position.

The amature C is subsequentl released and allowed to fall to the frame plunger D is againallowed to enter into the mercury pot F in the following manner: Electric current is passed through the winding H in such a direction that the polarity of the winding H is opposite to the polarity that the winding I had while the amature C was being drawn into the' coil. At the saine time, the current passed through the winding-.H is only suiiciently strong so that the magnetic, field set up by the coil collnteracts the magnetic attraction between the frame A and the armature C, and naturally, the armature under the influence'of the force and the 95 of gravity drops from the frame A, allowing the plunger D to complete the circult through the mercury pot.

I It is also noted that the two, windings H and I can be replaced by one single winding should the condition of service to which the relay is -put allow it to be done; because the armature C would even drop from the frame A if suicient current were passed through the winding I in such a manner and direction as to reverse the polarity that the same winding I had when the armature C was drawn into the coil. For general purposes, however, two windings are more practical.

Fig. 3 shows the polarized relay described above adapted to annunciator use. In place of a plunger being lifted out of and dropped into a mercury pot, a. target, J, is attached to the armature C and acts as an indicating target. When the armature drops, the target J drops; likewise, when the armature rises, so also does the target. The armature C in Fig. 3 is made to rise and fall in the same manner as described for the armature C in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows -an arrangement for two iioors and two elevators of an installation of signal service, using the relay described above as a magnet-control and as an ammuciator. M and R are positive and negative poles, respectively, and N is a neutral. A.

G, C, D, E and F correspond with the parts.

of the same letters in F ig. l and Fig. 2. Z is a night bell relay. Each floor has one up and one down relay, and one up and one down annunciator magnet.

Fig. 4 represents the application of my improvement to the construction of United States Patent #826,752 to Smalley and- Reiners, and I do not deem it necessary to go into details in regard to the operation of the elevator lights, commutating machine showing reset blocks, etc., as same form no part of my invention.

I1, I3, I2, I, and I", are wiring connections leading to and from the inner windings I in the various relays and annunciator magnets H1, H3, H2, H2 and Ha shows wiring connections leading to and from windings H of the various relays and annunciator magnets.

Current is passed from the point M, through the windings I of thev various relays, then through the commutating machine, then to the point R, thus energizing the relay magnets as described in the eX- planation of Fig. 1, thus withdrawing and holding the plungers D of the various relays out of the mercury pots. D is shown in its normal position in Fig. 4, after the niag-l nets have been energized as described.

Now. if the up button of floor #2 should be pushed, current will flow from the point N, through windings H of both up and down relay magnets for floor #2, then through throwover switch T, then through up button #2 to R in the direction indicated by arrow marked Up The polarity of the winding H of the up relay coil is opposed to the polarity of the winding I when the armature C2 and the frame A2 were magnetized,-with the result of de magnetizing A2 and C2 of the up relay of oor #2', allowing the plunger D2 to drop into the mercury-pot and complete connectings between L2 and K2, thus giving the desired signal on the'proper loor;

The polarity of the winding H of the down relay coil of floor #2, however, is with the direction of current specified the same as the polarity that was given to the windings I when the relay magnet was euergized. Therefore, the result of pushing the up button and passing current through windings H in the manner described is nil in regard to the down relay of floor #2, and the armature C* of the down relay of floor #2 remains as it was,

Now, if the down button of floor #2 is pushed, current will flow from the point M in the direction indicated by arrow marked Down, then through push button, then through throwover switch T, then through windings H of the up and down relav magnets, and back to the point N, which is in ya direction reversed to the direction of the current that was passed through these same windings H by pressing of the up button of floor #2. Thus the plunger D* of down7 relay of fioor #2 is released, and up plunger D2 not disturbed; because in this case the polarity of the winding H of the down relay coil is opposed to the polarity that was givento the winding I of the same relay magnet when same was energized, and the polarity of the winding H of the up relay coil is the same as that which was given to the winding I.

After the car has passed the floor signaled, the frame A and core C are magnetized and the plungers are restored to normal condition by the'reset blocks W, Y, S or V, as the case may be, in the commutatin machine, which is explained in U. S. atent #826,752 to Smalley and Reiners. The

magnetizing of the frame and core, and the direction of the current in connection therewith have been previously explained.

Although in the embodiment of the invention herein illustrated the solenoid coils are shown as each provided with two windL ings, it will be obvious that the invention is not restricted to the illustrative embodiment but that the object of the invention ma be attained with combinations in which th the structure of the electro-magnet and the structure of the permanent magnet are modified.

The operation of the annunciator is the same as described above for the magnetcontrol, except that windings I are energized by the pressing of the reset-button P instead of through a commutating machine, elements of the annunciator construction corresponding to those of the mercury pot switch being indicated by the same reference characters to which has been added the reference letter a to indicate that these'characters refer to elements of the annunciator.

Claims:

l. In an apparatus of the class described, a vertically arranged solenoid, an external frame supporting and partially surrounding saidsolcnoid and having a portion overlying the upper end thereof, a core therefor, at least one of said last mentioned elements being of permanent magnetic material, means for energizing said solenoid to raise said core into contact with said upper portion of said frame and to magnetize said frame to hold the core in raised position when the solenoid is denergized, and means for reversely energizing said solenoid to a degree sufficient only to release its core from said frame to permit said core to drop by gravity. p

'2. In an apparatus of the class described` a pair of magnetic couples, each of said couples comprisinga solenoid, and a pair of magnetizable elements in the field of Said solenoid, one of said elements being movable in response to variations in said magnetic field into and out of contact with the other element, each of said solenoids comprising two windings, said windings being so arranged lthat with respect to electromagnetic effect, current in one winding of either solenoid supplements current in the second winding thereof, and current in one winding of the other solenoid simultaneously opposes current in the second winding of. said other solenoid.

3. In an apparatus of the class described,

a pair of magnetic couples each comprising a solenoid a movable core therefor, and a magnetizable element adjacent thereto, each solenoid having two windings, means for supplying current to one Windin of each solenoid to magnetize said magnetizable elements and to draw the said movable cores into conta-ct therewith, the second windings of said solenoids being connected in series in a circuit and being so arranged with respect to said iirst named windings that the relative directions of the windings are opposite in the two solenoids, and means for sending a neutralizing current in either direction. through the circuit including said second windings, to thereby selectively neutralize the magnetic attraction between one of said magnetizable elements and the corresponding solenoid core.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a pair of solenoids and a movable member of magnetizable material for each solenoid, each solenoid having two windings, means for supplying current to one winding of each solenoid to attract said magnetizable members thereto, magnetic means for retaining each core in attracted relation'with itself after the current insaid winding has ceased, the second windings of said solenoids being connected in series and being so arranged with respect to said first winding that the relative directions of windings are opposite in lthe two solenoids, and means for sending a current in either direction through the common circuit of said second windings to thereby selectively neutralize the magnetic attraction between one of said movable members and the corresponding magnetic retaining means.

P. W. CUMMINGS.

Witnesses:

C. W. ELLAM, E. H. S'rou'r, Jr. 

